Andru Branch (born June 27, 1968) is a Canadian

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

musician. He is the lead singer-songwriter of the

band ''Andru Branch & Halfway Tree''. He was nominated for a

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

for his debut 1998 album ''What If I Told You''.

Early life

Branch was born Andru Reginald Arnold Branch on June 27, 1968, in

Sackville, New Brunswick Sackville is a town in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. It is home to Mount Allison University, a primarily undergraduate liberal arts university. Historically based on agriculture, shipbuilding, and manufacturing, the economy is now driven ...

Career

Branch was signed to independent Jamaican record label Kingston Muzik in 1996. Branch recorded and mixed his 1998 debut album ''What If I Told You'' at Kingston Muzik Studio in Kingston, Jamaica. Its title was taken from a popular

saying A saying is any concisely written or spoken expression that is especially memorable because of its meaning or style. Sayings are categorized as follows: * Aphorism: a general, observational truth; "a pithy expression of wisdom or truth". ** Adage ...

("the only constant in life is change") favoured by Andru's late mother. The album was distributed with modified artwork in Europe and the United States by Tabou 1 Records and features

Earl "Chinna" Smith Earl "Chinna" Smith (born 6 August 1955), a.k.a. Earl Flute and Melchezidek the High Priest,Johnson, Richard (2013)The Melchizedek way, ''Jamaica Observer'', 6 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013 is a Jamaican guitarist active since the late ...

and members of

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

's backing band "

The Wailers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

"; Aston "Family Man" Barrett,

Tyrone Downie Tyrone Downie (20 May 1956 – 5 November 2022) was a Jamaican keyboardist and pianist best known for his involvement as a member of Bob Marley and The Wailers.Foster, Chuck (1999) ''Roots Rock Reggae'', Billboard Books, , p. 66, 116 He studi ...

, and

Alvin "Seeco" Patterson Alvin "Seeco" Patterson (born Francisco Aloysius Willie, 30 December 1930 – 1 November 2021) was a Cuban-born Jamaican percussionist. He was a member of The Wailers Band. Early life Patterson was born as Francisco Willie in Havana, Cuba in ...

. Branch was nominated for a

at the

Juno Awards of 2000 The Juno Awards of 2000 were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the weekend of 11–12 March 2000. The primary ceremonies were hosted by The Moffatts at the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) on 12 March 2000 and broadcast on CBC Television. This ...

for this release in the category Best Reggae Recording. His second album ''The Only Constant'' was released in January 2008 and features Squidly Cole and Chris Meredith of

Ziggy Marley David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born 17 October 1968) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, musician, actor and philanthropist. He is the son of reggae icon Bob Marley and Rita Marley. He led the family band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers until 200 ...

's band along with

from The Wailers. ''The Only Constant'' is straight-up roots-reggae, brimming with lush horns, placid backbeats and spiritual proclamations". Andru's traditional roots-reggae style is wide-ranging, varying from African high-life to suggestions of

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

influence and has been described by ''Exclaim! Magazine'' as "some of the rootsiest bottom-heavy music ever to come out of the Great White North". He performed at Jamaica's 1998 Reggae Sunsplash Festival and as a percussionist, has backed musicians

Brinsley Forde Brinsley Forde MBE (born 16 October 1953) is a British singer and actor of Guyanese parentage who is best known as the founder member of the reggae band Aswad and as a child actor in the children's television series '' Here Come the Double D ...

Gregory Isaacs Gregory Anthony Isaacs OD (15 July 1951 – 25 October 2010)Thompson, p. 127. was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in ''The New York Times'', described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae".Miles, Milo (1992),RECORDI ...

, Glen Washington,

Vybz Kartel Adidja Azim Palmer (born 7 January 1976), better known as Vybz Kartel, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall recording artist, composer, record producer, and entrepreneur. Among his various nicknames, he is referred to as "Worl' Boss". As summarize ...

and

Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is regarded as one of dancehall's most prolific artists. Paul's singles "Get Busy" and "Temperature" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the ...

. Studio One's original Soul Vendors bassist Brian "Bassie" Atkinson joined Andru Branch & Halfway Tree in 2002 and the band is currently making new

music. Andru developed a profound love for

music while growing up in multicultural

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, where he was mentored by Tony "Raffa" White and Bernie Pitters before moving to

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

, in 2000. Andru Branch graduated from Lawrence Park Collegiate and received a "Sound & Music Recording Diploma" from Recording Arts Canada.

Discography

Albums

* Andru Branch: ''What If I Told You'' (1998) * Andru Branch: ''The Only Constant'' (2008) * Andru Branch & Halfway Tree: ''My Jamaican Weed – Single'' (2008) * Andru Branch : ''Rocksteady – Single'' (2010) * Andru Branch & Halfway Tree: ''Step Into The Light'' (2012) * Andru Branch: ''Happy Day – Single'' (2014) * Andru Branch & Halfway Tree: ''Step Into The Dub'' (2017)

Appears On

* Confrontation; ''It's A New Day'' (1999) * Various; ''Roots with Quality: Best of Tabou 1, Vol 1'' (1999) * Chris Bottomley; ''Knotty Bits'' (2003) * Various; ''Real Roots Reggae – A Canadian Story'' (2007)

Video

''Holy Jihad''
(2008)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Branch, Andru 1968 births Living people Canadian reggae musicians Musicians from Sackville, New Brunswick Musicians from Toronto 20th-century Canadian male musicians 21st-century Canadian male musicians